The Stratford Expands to Create Member Wellness Department

Members and staff of The Stratford pose with their award for best clinical wellness program in 2011.

We have found that by using tailored wellness programs we can substantially improve the quality and length of our Members' lives.

Carmel, Ind. (PRWEB) April 13, 2012

The Stratford, a retirement community located in Carmel, Ind., announced today that the community is expanding to add a fully integrated Wellness Department. Kyle Schlichter has been promoted to the position of Wellness Director. Schlichter will oversee the newly created department which houses the community’s nationally recognized wellness program.

Executive Director Sam Carrillo says the community will hire an additional wellness associate and add new programs for Members into the existing schedule to boost participation during the week and on weekends. Carrillo says the expansion is the result of a growing demand for solutions to high-cost clinical care which older adults may need later in life.

“We have found that by using tailored wellness programs we can substantially improve the quality and length of our Members’ lives,” he said. “Our goal is to offer Members an environment where they can improve their health and independence while potentially preventing a move to skilled nursing in the future.”

Although The Stratford offers skilled nursing, assisted living, and Alzheimer’s care services as well as independent living options, Carrillo says the community’s Wellness Department houses programs that are appropriate for older adults with varying degree of needs.

“One example is our aquatic therapy program for residents with memory impairment that has been shown to reduce anxiety, improve sleeping patterns and also reduce the number of medications resident are currently taking,” says Carrillo. “We’re not saying clinical solutions aren’t needed – we’re just saying there may be a way to combine clinical and wellness solutions so that our residents achieve better outcomes.”

In addition to the aquatic therapy program, Wellness Director Schlichter will oversee the expansion of additional targeted wellness programs in healthcare including interventions focused on improving outcomes associated with fractures or orthopedic replacements, heart failure, C.O.P.D., diabetes, arthritis and Parkinson’s disease, to name a few.

Schlichter will continue to emphasize and create prevention-oriented programming for the community’s independent living members who want to improve their health while also reducing their chances of suffering a negative health event in the future.

The Stratford is the first active senior living community, formerly known as continuing care retirement communities (CCRC), to be built near Indianapolis in the last 25 years. The community offers independent, maintenance-free living and a host of on-site amenities such as personalized meal plans, an aquatic and fitness center, and access to over two dozen restaurants, shop and retailers in the nearby Village of WestClay. Members also gain access to on-site assisted living, Alzheimer’s care, skilled nursing and other healthcare services should they need them. More information about The Stratford is located at http://www.Stratford-Living.com.
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